[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4018 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4018
To enable high research activity status historically Black colleges or
universities to increase capacity toward achieving very high research
activity status.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 6, 2022
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enable high research activity status historically Black colleges or
universities to increase capacity toward achieving very high research
activity status.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``HBCU Research, Innovation, Security,
and Excellence Act'' or the ``HBCU RISE Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Historically Black colleges and universities hold a
unique position in the efforts of the United States to
diversify the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
academic and workforce communities.
(2) Even though our Nation's historically Black colleges
and universities make up just 3 percent of the colleges and
universities in the United States, historically Black colleges
and universities graduate 25 percent of African-American
students with baccalaureate degrees in the fields of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.
(3) Historically Black colleges and universities are the
institution of origin for almost 30 percent of Black graduates
of science and engineering doctorate programs.
(4) The health of the Department of Defense and the United
States research ecosystem relies on high quality researchers
from a diverse talent pool.
(5) Historically Black colleges and universities have a
history of conducting high quality research in unique areas,
both providing impactful research outcomes and developing the
next generation of the research ecosystem, such as by--
(A) conducting high quality research in unique
areas that has enriched the Department of Defense
research enterprise and the United States research
ecosystem;
(B) strengthening and diversifying the United
States research ecosystem by increasing the number of
students who are students of diverse backgrounds from
historically Black colleges and universities with
undergraduate or graduate degrees in science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics; and
(C) fueling domestic and international
collaborations that led to trailblazing discoveries and
innovative technologies.
(6) In 2019, historically Black colleges and universities
received $371,000,000, or about 0.8 percent of the
$44,500,000,000 in Federal funding to institutions of higher
education for research and development. The amount of funding
for 2019 is a marked decrease from fiscal year 2018, when
historically Black colleges and universities received
$400,000,000 in Federal research and development funding (0.9
percent of the Federal funding to institutions of higher
education for such purposes).
(7) There are no historically Black colleges and
universities designated as very high research activity status,
as classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of
Higher Education.
(8) Meaningfully investing in the research capacity of
historically Black colleges and universities is an investment
in our Nation's future and will help meet accelerating science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce demands and
safeguard the national security interests of the United States.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of the program established under this Act is to provide
additional pathways needed for further increasing capacity at
historically Black colleges and universities to achieve very high
research activity status.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) High research activity status.--The term ``high
research activity status'' means such status, as classified by
the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher
Education.
(2) Historically black college or university.--The term
``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning
given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
(4) Very high research activity status.--The term ``very
high research activity status'' means such status, as
classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of
Higher Education.
(5) Very high research activity status indicators.--The
term ``very high research activity status indicators'' means
the categories used by the Carnegie Classification of
Institutions of Higher Education to delineate which
institutions have very high activity status. These include--
(A) annual expenditures in science and engineering;
(B) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in
science and engineering;
(C) annual expenditures in non-science and
engineering fields;
(D) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in
non-science and engineering fields;
(E) doctorates awarded in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics fields;
(F) doctorates awarded in social science fields;
(G) doctorates awarded in the humanities;
(H) doctorates awarded in other fields with a
research emphasis;
(I) total number of research staff including
postdoctoral researchers;
(J) other doctorate-holding non-faculty researchers
in science and engineering and per-capita (faculty)
number of doctorate-level research staff including
post-doctoral researchers; and
(K) other categories utilized to determine
classification.
SEC. 5. PROGRAM TO INCREASE CAPACITY TOWARD ACHIEVING VERY HIGH
RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES
OR UNIVERSITIES.
(a) Program.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out, using
funds made available for research activities, a pilot program to
increase capacity at high research activity status (R2) historically
Black colleges and universities toward achieving very high research
activity status (R1) within a decade. In establishing such a pilot
program, the Secretary may consider the recommendations pursuant to
section 262 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2020 (Public Law 116-92; 10 U.S.C. 2362 note) and section 220 of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law
117-81).
(b) Grants.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award
grants for key areas of scientific research on a competitive, merit-
reviewed basis to historically Black colleges or universities that are
classified as high research activity status institutions at the time of
application for such a grant.
(c) Expansion of Eligibility.--The Secretary may expand the program
to other historically Black colleges or universities beyond those
historically Black colleges or universities classified as high research
activity status if the Secretary determines that the program can
support such an expansion while achieving the purpose of the program,
as described in section 3.
(d) Application.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a historically Black college or university
described in subsection (b) shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
(2) Contents.--The application described in paragraph (1)
shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
(A) nascent research capabilities and research
areas of interest to the Department of Defense;
(B) a plan for increasing the level of research
activity toward achieving very high research activity
status classification within a decade of the grant
award, including measurable milestones such as growth
in very high research activity status indicators and
other relevant factors;
(C) how the institution of higher education will
sustain the increased level of research activity beyond
the duration of the award; and
(D) how the implementation of the proposed plan
will be evaluated and assessed.
(e) Program Components.--
(1) Strategic areas of scientific research.--In
consultation with the Defense Science Board, the Secretary, or
the Secretary's designee, shall establish annually a list of
key areas of research for which applicants can seek funding.
(2) Use of funds.--An institution that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds to support
research activities, including--
(A) faculty professional development;
(B) stipends for undergraduate and graduate
students and post-doctoral scholars;
(C) laboratory equipment and instrumentation;
(D) recruitment and retention of faculty and
graduate students;
(E) communication and dissemination of products
produced during the funding period;
(F) construction, modernization, rehabilitation, or
retrofitting of facilities for research purposes; and
(G) other activities necessary to build capacity in
research activity indicator areas.
(3) Research assessment.--The Secretary, in partnership
with the institution, shall provide criteria for assessing and
evaluating progress related to the very high research activity
indicators.
(4) Research progress reporting.--An institution that
receives a grant under this section shall submit to the
Secretary a progress report and an updated plan described in
subsection (d)(2)(B) not less than once every 3 years, which
shall be based on a self-assessment of progress in advancing in
very high research activity indicators.
(5) Transition eligibility.--The Secretary may consider
creating pathways for new historically Black colleges or
universities to enter into the program under this section as
participating institutions achieve very high research activity
status.
(f) Evaluation.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a report
to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives providing an update on
the pilot program, including--
(1) activities carried out under the pilot program;
(2) an analysis of the growth in very high research
activity status indicators of participating institutions; and
(3) emerging research areas of interest to the Department
of Defense conducted by participating institutions.
(g) Termination.--The pilot program established under this section
shall terminate 10 years after the date on which the Secretary
establishes such program.
(h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the
termination of the pilot program, the Secretary shall prepare and
submit a report to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on the
pilot program. Such report shall include the following elements:
(1) An analysis of the growth in very high research
activity status indicators of participating institutions.
(2) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the program in
bolstering the research capacity of participating institutions.
(3) An assessment on how institutions that have achieved
very high research activity status plan to sustain that status
beyond the duration of the program.
(4) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the program to
increase diversity of students conducting high quality research
in unique areas.
(5) Recommendations on further activities and investments
necessary to elevate the research status of historically Black
colleges and universities.
(6) Recommendations on renewal or expansion of the program
established under this section.
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